The Bonaire mangroves

Nursery of the ocean

The Bonaire mangroves around Lac Bay form a unique environment in the wild nature of our island. Mangroves are nature’s way of building land mass, and on Bonaire the mangrove area is also ‘the breeding ground of the ocean’ with nesting grounds for the hundreds of different fish species in the waters around Bonaire.

Products of mangrove twigs

In the past, the importance of the mangroves for the ecosystem was not yet very well recognized and the local fishermen fished under the covered waterways on the young fish and they harvest the young mangrove twigs. They used those long, flexible branches to make mats, window coverings and other useful objects. This was done by cutting the twigs into long pieces and weaving them into the desired products.

Kayaking in protected area

Now that the Bonaire mangroves are protected, this art has been lost and nowadays the mangroves are used as a recreation area, where our guests can go kayaking and snorkeling and enjoy the overwhelming silence, for instance with the Bonaire Mangrove Center.